2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog - Conference Finals

The Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks will play Game 5 of the Western Conference final Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena without key components.

The Red Wings, up 3-1 in the series, will try to close out the Blackhawks without defenceman and Norris Trophy finalist Nicklas Lidstrom (lower-body injury) and centre and Hart Trophy finalist Pavel Datsyuk (foot injury).

And add rookie defenceman Jonathan Ericsson to Detroit’s list of walking wounded.

Ericsson was a late scratch for Game 5 when he underwent a successful appendectomy Wednesday afternoon at Detroit Medical Center.

Ericsson, 25, complained of abdominal pain Wednesday afternoon following the game-day skate. He was taken to DMC for testing and diagnosed with acute appendicitis.

The Wings expect Ericsson to be available for their next playoff game.

In his absence, Wings coach Mike Babcock moved Brett Lebda into Ericsson’s spot alongside Brian Rafalski, while Derek Meech was inserted into the lineup to form a third pair with Chris Chelios. The second defence pairing of Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart is unchanged.

Meech has seen action just once in the playoffs, in a May 10 game against Anaheim.

Datsyuk, meanwhile, skated briefly Wednesday morning wearing a sweat suit, while team captain Lidstrom rode the stationary bike. Neither spoke with the media and after the morning skate, Wings coach Mike Babcock declared both players out for Game 5.

"They're both getting closer,'' Babcock said.”I'd like to think they're going to play next time we play.''

That could be Friday at the United Center, if a Game 6 in this set is necessary, or perhaps as early as Saturday, when it’s possible the Stanley Cup final could open against the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins at Joe Louis Arena.

Centre Kris Draper (groin injury), winger Tomas Kopecky (fractured cheekbone) and defenceman Andreas Lilja (post-concussion syndrome) all remain out of Detroit’s lineup.

Havlat, Khabibulin out

Neither right-winger Martin Havlat (upper-body injury) or goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin (lower-body injury) will be available to help the Blackhawks as they seek to stave off elimination.

Havlat, knocked unconscious when hit by Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall in Game 3, left Game 4 early in the second period after being hit by Detroit’s Brad Stuart and hasn’t been seen on the ice since.

Khabibulin has been sidelined since leaving the Chicago net at the end of the second period of Game 3. He took the ice with the team Wednesday morning, but Chicago coach Joel Quenneville indicated Cristobal Huet would be his starter in net.

“He’s progressing,” Quenneville said of Khabibulin.

Colin Fraser will come into the lineup for Havlat. Patrick Sharp figures to play in Havlat’s spot on the second line with David Bolland and Andrew Ladd. The Blackhawks also worked Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on the same line along with Dustin Byfuglien. Without the advantage of last change, Quenneville opted to split Kane and Toews up during Game 2, the last time the teams played in Detroit.

Status quo

The Wings will go with the same lineup that took the ice for Game 4, with Ville Leino in for Datsyuk and Chris Chelios in for Lidstrom.

“When you’re missing guys like Pav and Nick and Drapes, sometimes you go harder with responsibilities,” Chelios said. “Hopefully, that will be the case tonight.

“There has to be a sense of urgency - and there always is in the playoffs - to win every game. The guys in the lineup have to make sure they’re ready, that they contribute and pick up the slack.”

That formula worked for Detroit in Game 4, a 6-1 Wings triumph, but Babcock doesn’t like it as a long-range solution.

“It’s way easier to replace good players in the short term than it is in the long term, because everyone can lift their level for a period of time,” Babcock said. “But how are you going to play like Nick (Lidstrom) every night? I haven’t seen anyone play like Nick every night except Nick.”

Hawk talk

Detroit goalie Chris Osgood accused the Blackhawks of being the biggest trash-talkers the Wings have faced in the playoffs.

“They talk a lot,” Osgood said. “They talk more than any other team has, even Anaheim. They chirp quite a bit on the ice.”

It’s an aspect of the game the Wings insist they’ve learned to curtail and for the most part, avoid.

“We’ve learned over the years, playing different teams and playing different players, there’s no reason to stand there and chirp back or throw punches,” Osgood said. “You don’t really accomplish much.

“You accomplish a lot by how you play and what you do when the puck is dropped. Be physical during the course of the game when the play is on, not after whistles. You don’t really accomplish much by doing that other than to play shorthanded.”

Stopper must step up

You want to beat the Red Wings in the playoffs? Then your goaltender had better be prepared to turn in an other-worldly performance.

“You’re always going to be tested,” Quenneville said. “They’re a team that puts a lot of pucks on net and when they do have chances, sometimes they’re of the highest quality.”

In this series, Chicago’s Khabibulin, Huet and Corey Crawford have posted a disappointing .875 save percentage, not nearly stingy enough if beating the Wings is the Blackhawks’ objective.

Forget about bringing his “A” game. A netminder seeking to stymie Detroit must arrive between the posts with his “A-plus-plus” game in tow.

The last four times Detroit has been defeated in a playoffs series, the winning netminders posted no less than a .924 save percentage in their team’s four wins over the Wings.

Anaheim’s Jean-Sebastien Giguere blocked 122-of-132 pucks for a .924 save percentage. In the opening round of the 2006 playoffs, Edmonton’s Dwayne Roloson posted a .933 save percentage in the Oilers’ four wins over Detroit, stopping 140 of 150 shots.

Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff was unconscious in the Flames four triumphs against the Wings in their 2004 second-round series, saving 124 of 127 saves for a scintillating .976 save percentage. And when Anaheim swept Detroit in the first round of the 2003 playoffs, Giguere stopped 165 of 171 shots, good for a .947 save percentage.